According to statistics, there are 76 million food-related illnesses each year in the United States and 325,000 food-related hospitalizations annually. About 5,000 people die every year in the US due to food-related illnesses. Of these, annual deaths, about 1,800 are caused by salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma while unknown agents cause 3,200 deaths each year. While we expect the food at supermarkets and restaurants in New York or any other place to be clean, free from any contaminants and edible, there are thousands of people who contract food poisoning every day, causing weakness, nausea, vomiting, flu symptoms and in severe cases, organ failure.
Common Bacterial Causes of Food Poisoning
There are some common bacterial causes of food poisoning, including:
- Salmonella: This can be found in eggs, milk, chicken, meat such as pork, etc. When food is not properly refrigerated or when cross-contamination (uncontaminated food comes in contact with infected food) occurs, salmonella quickly spreads. Symptoms of food poisoning resulting from salmonella usually last 24 to 48 hours and they cause permanent injuries only in very rare cases.
- Listeria: When people eat food contaminated with this bacteria, it can cause an invasive form of listeriosis which is a disease that is potentially fatal. In most cases, the disease affects pregnant women, adults with weakened immune systems, infants and the elderly. Proper food sanitation practices can prevent this disease.
- Shigella: This bacteria is transmitted most often when people do not wash their hands thoroughly and fail to remove fecal matter. Symptoms of shigella poisoning include severe stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea, which usually last 5 to 7 days. This type of poisoning typically involves treatment, including antibiotics such as trimethoprim, nalidixic acid and ampicillin.
- Clostridium: Botulism, or clostridium botulinum, is found in the fertilizer, as well as soil, used to grow commercial food. When canned foods are not properly sealed, resulting in oxygen getting in, the bacteria can quickly spread and become toxic. Symptoms of this type of poisoning include severe nausea, double vision, impaired breathing, droopy eyelids, lethargy and difficulty in swallowing and speaking. This poisoning can be fatal between 3 and 10 days.
- coli (Escherichia coli): This bacteria can result in major damage to the intestinal tract. E. coli is typically found in raw and undercooked meat. The symptoms of this type of poisoning can last from 1 week to 10 days and can include vomiting, diarrhea and in some cases, kidney failure. Antibiotics are usually included in the treatment for E. coli.
If you have suffered food poisoning due to someone else’s negligence, like a restaurant or your local butcher in New York, you should get legal help and file a personal injury claim so that you can recover damages for your illness.
Obatain Outstanding Legal Help in New York for Food Poisoning
If you or a loved one has suffered serious illness due to food poisoning, you should immediately call the splendid and committed personal injury attorneys at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff, & Wolff of RMFW Law at 212-344-1000or 212-344-1000. The first meeting with us is free. We will charge you nothing up front. In fact, we will only charge you if we win and we only take a percentage at the end. RMFW Law knows how to win cases. Call us today!
